First Round of Zone Conferences - WARSAW I Zone

Starci Torke, Buckner i Moon. Siostry Pritchett, Cholewinska, Powles, i Moon. Lodz District

Starci Peatrowsky, Handley, Mehner, Lewis i Siostry Smith i LeFevre. Starci Balija, Harding i Siostra Harding i Starzy Thomson. Lublin i Warsaw II Districts

Warsaw I and Bialystok Districts---Starzy i Siostra Thueson, Starzy i Siostra Ireland i Siostra Galbraith. Starci Clemons, Crittendon i Siostry Brown i Bautner. Starci Turley, Stohel i Plumb.

After church in Gdansk. The Church owns this beautiful building and yard. Attending this meeting were people who spoke German, Polish, Czeck, English, and Finnish. Yes....the Elders were translating and going a mile a minute....at times the translating in the congregation was louder than the speaker! It felt like we were in a United Nations meeting. President Nielson and I were the speakers and it was our first real meeting where we used translators and we found out how difficult it can be. You have to pause and let the translation catch up and still keep your train of thought. With all of the languages and conversations going on, it was a task. The Spirit, however, could be felt and was very strong. Our church is truly an international church! Heavenly Father loves all His children and wants them all to hear His message of the Restored Gospel in their own tongue.

We think this is a stork. We dont have time to research it this morning- story of our lives right now- no time or late. Anyway, you see this often out in the country side. A large nest built on top of a telephone or power line pole. These birds are rather large and its quite a feat to contruction this large nest on the top.

A Baptism, A "Grill" and a chance to mingle with members...

The chapel in Warsaw....in fact, this is the only full sized church in Poland. The grounds are beautiful, and members and non-members alike gather often to socialize.

This is the actual chapel inside the building.

Starsi Turley, Plumb and Stohel with Farid who was baptized this afternoon. His testimony is strong and he will make a great member of the church.

After the baptism.....came food and fun. Members and and those interested in the church gathered on the grounds of the Warsaw chapel for a grill. The main course was Kabasa---grilled polish sausage---along with all the fixings. It was absolutely delicious!

Another First...

Tonight we ventured out all by ourselves and ordered dinner ... in polish...and it wasn't a #2 supersized! The funny thing is that we haven't been to a McDonalds in years, and we have to come all the way to Poland to do so. It reminded us of Las Vegas...we couldn't understand what the drive-through attendant was saying...

INTERVIEW TOUR- (3 days) Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw, Katowice, Kielce, Lodz and back home

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Polish. This is above the chapel entrance in Poznan.

In front of the chapel entrance in Poznan with (L to R) Starsi Darowski, Mehner, Augustyn, Rees, Siostra Austin, Starzy Contor, Siostra Marshall, Starsi Davis, Balija and Brown.

In Katowice with (L to R) Siostra i Starzy Neiman, Starsi Nielson, Balija, Mehner, Tribe, Garrett, Siostry Hulme i Helfrich, Starzy Eastman.

in Kielce with Starsi Mehner, Owen, Hinckley, Balija, Smith i Guthrie.

"The living among the dead" along the road from Kielce to Lodz.

Presydent Nielson's first temple recommend interview po Polsku with Brat i Siostra Arzapalo.

In Lodz (pronounced Wooz) (L to R) Basia (convert of one month) Siostry Pritchett, Powles, Starzy Torke, Brat Rysiek Wojtysiak, Marta (investigator) Siostra Nielson, Starsi Buckner, Balija, Mehner, Siostra i Starzy Moon.

This was a FULL night...temple interviews, 'Meet the President' interviews, helped teach an English class, participated in teaching a lesson to an investigator and visited with a Polish prospective full time missionary.

We have just about completed our tour of interviews with all of our missionaries. We have outstanding missionaries. Absolutely the best! They are so wonderful to be around and they love the Lord, the people and this work. We can not express how blessed we are to serve with these servants of the Lord. We start Zone Conferences next week and will be able to teach and learn more from our missionaries. We love them!

WE HAVE A BAPTISM!

Saturday night Elder Stohel baptized Andy....who was taught by Sister Brown and Sister Bautner. Andy will be a future leader of the church in Poland or his home country some day. He had asked God to help him find His church ... and he was led to the Sister missionaries.
Baptized July 3, 2010.

President Nielson with Brother Lukman.....the first member baptized since he has been President of the Poland Warsaw Mission. There was a wonderful spirit in the meeting. Everywhere in the world where the spirit is present, wonderful things happen.

The Rynek and Ogrod Saski

In the famous Rynek with David and Charlotte Tanner from Las Vegas and their son Elder Tim Tanner who served in Poland and will be released when he arrives home. This town square was bombed and totally destroyed by Hitler during WWII. It has been rebuilt exactly how it was. When a new missionary arrives he or she comes here in their first few hours and they begin contacting people.

In Ogrod Saski (Saxon Park). In this secluded and special area, President Monson and Elder Russel M. Nelson offered a prayer to reopen missionary work in Poland as the hand of communism fell. Twenty years to the day, July 1, 1990 the Poland Warsaw Mission was established. As Elder Nelson has told us, we thank the Catholic Church in that the Minister of Religion wanted so badly to break up the dominance of that religion and felt they needed some competition, that he eagerly allowed the Church to come into their country and gave us a beautiful site where our only chapel now stands. This is a beautiful area and like a sacred grove in this country.

Also in this area are the remains of the Palace. The city of Warsaw was bombed for months and Hilter ordered it destroyed. The remains of this structure is now a memorial with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.